Westports (WPRTS MK)






Westports (WPRTS MK) Results Review


Malaysia Results Review
Transport | Marine Port
Shariah Compliant

4 August 2025

Westports (WPRTS MK)

Performance Remains On Track

Neutral (Maintained)
  • Keep NEUTRAL, with new MYR5.14 TP (DCF) from MYR4.90, 8% downside. Westports’ 1H25 results and container throughput largely met our and consensus expectations. Management guides low-to-mid single-digit growth for containers in FY25, as congestion at ports sees a gradual improvement. Although the stock is trading at 18.6x FY26F P/E, +2SD from its historical mean – we view the risk-reward ratio is balanced with the high concentration of intra-Asia volume (which could mitigate the impact from US transhipment tariffs). This report marks the coverage transfer to Malaysia Research.
  • Meeting expectations. Westports posted a 1H25 core profit of MYR454m (+11.3% YoY), at 47% and 48% of our and Street’s FY25 projections – broadly meeting our expectations. Segmentally, container revenue rose 5.5% YoY to MYR1bn, driven by a 3.1% YoY increase in container volumes and higher VAS contribution, particularly due to higher storage income for metal commodities. Consequently, revenue/TEU improved 2.4% YoY to MYR180 while conventional revenue saw a 1% YoY increase.
  • Throughput analysis. Westports managed a total of 5.57m TEUs (+3.1% YoY) in 1H25, mainly due to 6% YoY higher transhipment volumes offset by lower gateway containers (-0.4% YoY). As a result, transhipment and gateway constituted c.57% and c.43% of total volumes. The decline in gateway volumes was mainly due to stricter inspections by the authorities on metal imports. 1H25 container volumes were within our expectation (50.5% of our full-year assumption). Geographically, intra-Asia trade remains the biggest contributor (c.61% of total container volumes) despite a 4.5% YoY drop.
  • Trade tension escalating by transhipment tariffs. US President Donald Trump’s 40% tariff on transhipments, effective 7 Aug 2025, targets China’s indirect exports via countries like Vietnam. While a temporary 30% tariff on China holds until 12 August – pending negotiations – the new rules signal a tougher stance. YTD, the impact of US reciprocal tariffs on Westports has been minimal, with container volumes sustaining single digit growth. Management maintains its conservative outlook of low-to-mid single digit container growth for FY25.
  • Valuation. We make no change to our earnings and container growth forecasts for FY26-27. Our TP is now MYR5.14, with a 2% ESG premium imputed, based on its ESG score of 3.1. The revision of our TP is mainly due to a DCF upkeep adjustment. We keep our NEUTRAL call as Westports is trading at an implied 18.6x FY25F P/E, above +2SD of its historical P/E, but we view the risk-reward ratio is balanced with the high concentration of intra-Asia volume. Downside risks: Lower-than-expected TEU volume and higher-than-expected operating costs. The opposites represent the upside risks.

Target Price (Return): MYR5.14 (-8.1%)

Price (Market Cap): MYR5.59 (USD4,456m)

ESG score: 3.1 (out of 4)

Avg Daily Turnover (MYR/USD): 22.2m/5.23m

Analyst

Malaysia Research

+603 2302 8100

research.my.equity@rhbgroup.com

Share Performance (%)

YTD 1m 3m 6m 12m
Absolute 20.0 3.5 31.5 22.1 24.5
Relative 26.6 4.0 32.0 23.6 30.1
52-wk Price low/high (MYR): 4.08 – 5.80

Share Performance Chart Area
Source: Bloomberg

Forecasts and Valuation

Dec-23 Dec-24 Dec-25F Dec-26F Dec-27F
Total turnover (MYRm) 2,152 2,344 2,436 2,729 2,910
Recurring net profit (MYRm) 779 902 958 1,026 1,102
Recurring net profit growth (%) 11.3 15.8 6.3 7.1 7.4
Recurring P/E (x) 24.47 21.14 19.90 18.59 17.30
P/B (x) 5.4 5.0 4.5 4.3 4.2
P/CF (x) 19.16 14.76 15.66 14.90 13.95
Dividend Yield (%) 2.8 3.2 3.8 4.0 4.3
EV/EBITDA (x) 16.02 13.34 12.23 11.56 10.85
Return on average equity (%) 20.0 24.5 23.7 23.7 24.5
Net debt to equity (%) 7.7 7.8 0.6 net cash net cash

Source: Company data, RHB

Overall ESG Score: 3.1 (out of 4)

E Score: 3.2 (EXCELLENT) | S Score: 3.0 (GOOD) | G Score: 3.0 (GOOD)

Please refer to the ESG analysis on the next page

Emissions And ESG

Trend analysis: In 2024, total GHG emissions decreased by 1% to 273k tonnes of CO2 equivalents, from 276k tonnes of CO2 equivalents.

Emissions (tCO2e) Dec-22 Dec-23 Dec-24 Dec-25
Scope 1 131,919 132,986 134,181 na
Scope 2 48,363 43,207 43,460 na
Scope 3 108,720 99,464 95,467 na
Total emissions 289,002 275,657 273,108 na

Source: Company data, RHB

Latest ESG-Related Developments

Westports expressed its commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and has begun testing electric terminal trucks since 2023.

ESG Unbundled

Overall ESG Score: 3.1 (out of 4)

Last Updated: 4 Aug 2025

E Score: 3.2 (EXCELLENT)

Westports continues to organise environmental initiatives such as mangrove planting and recycling programmes. In terms of electricity consumption, Westports consumed 60m kWh of electricity in 2024, representing a 7% increase YoY. Its total GHG emissions for 2024 have reduced by 1% despite higher operating activities.

S Score: 3.0 (GOOD)

The company regularly organises and supports various community-based programmes and initiatives. It works closely with volunteers, the local community, community partners, and government agencies to improve neighbourhoods and lives. These include gotong-royong, dengue prevention programme and basic first aid classes.

G Score: 3.0 (GOOD)

The Board has a presence of nine non-executive directors, whereby six of its members are independent directors. 45% are female, which is above the Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance requirement of 30%. Westports provides full disclosure on its directors’ remunerations, including salaries and bonuses. It holds regular investor briefings, embodying good transparency and disclosure practices.

ESG Rating History

ESG Rating History Chart Area
Source: RHB

Financial Exhibits

Key drivers

TEU volume and container operating costs

Key risks

Lower-than-expected TEU volume and higher-than-expected operating costs. The converse represents upside risks.

Company Profile

Westports is a leading port operator in Port Klang with c.75% of the market share. The company has nine container terminals with a capacity of 14m TEUs annually.

Asia

Malaysia

Transport

Westports

WPRTS MK

Neutral

Valuation basis

DCF

Financial summary (MYR)
Dec-23 Dec-24 Dec-25F Dec-26F Dec-27F
Recurring EPS 0.23 0.26 0.28 0.30 0.32
DPS 0.16 0.18 0.21 0.23 0.24
BVPS 1.03 1.12 1.25 1.29 1.35
Return on average equity (%) 20.0 24.5 23.7 23.7 24.5
Valuation metrics
Dec-23 Dec-24 Dec-25F Dec-26F Dec-27F
Recurring P/E (x) 24.47 21.14 19.90 18.59 17.30
P/B (x) 5.4 5.0 4.5 4.3 4.2
FCF Yield (%) 4.7 6.3 5.8 6.0 6.3
Dividend Yield (%) 2.8 3.2 3.8 4.0 4.3
EV/EBITDA (x) 16.02 13.34 12.23 11.56 10.85
EV/EBIT (x) 20.40 16.18 14.67 13.79 12.86
Income statement (MYRm)
Dec-23 Dec-24 Dec-25F Dec-26F Dec-27F
Total turnover 2,152 2,344 2,436 2,729 2,910
Gross profit 1,146 1,446 1,529 1,762 1,862
EBITDA 1,207 1,452 1,561 1,645 1,744
Depreciation and amortisation (259) (255) (260) (267) (273)
Operating profit 948 1,197 1,301 1,378 1,471
Net interest (42) (56) (88) (80) (77)
Pre-tax profit 906 1,141 1,212 1,298 1,394
Taxation (227) (241) (255) (273) (293)
Reported net profit 679 900 958 1,026 1,102
Recurring net profit 779 902 958 1,026 1,102
Balance sheet (MYRm)
Dec-23 Dec-24 Dec-25F Dec-26F Dec-27F
Total cash and equivalents 578 781 779 762 741
Tangible fixed assets 1,739 1,687 1,627 1,587 1,572
Total assets 5,339 7,778 7,862 7,845 7,834
Short-term debt 125 175 175 175 175
Total long-term debt 725 905 629 529 429
Total liabilities 1,819 3,960 3,605 3,431 3,243
Total equity 3,520 3,818 4,256 4,414 4,591
Total liabilities & equity 5,339 7,778 7,862 7,845 7,834
Key metrics
Dec-23 Dec-24 Dec-25F Dec-26F Dec-27F
Revenue growth (%) 4.0 8.9 3.9 12.1 6.6
Recurrent EPS growth (%) 11.3 15.8 6.3 7.1 7.4
Gross margin (%) 53.3 61.7 62.8 64.6 64.0
Operating EBITDA margin (%) 56.1 61.9 64.1 60.3 59.9
Net profit margin (%) 31.6 38.4 39.3 37.6 37.9
Dividend payout ratio (%) 78.6 66.7 75.0 75.0 75.0
Capex/sales (%) 5.0 4.3 4.9 5.3 5.9
Interest cover (x) 18.0 16.3 12.5 14.4 16.8

Source: Company data, RHB

Figure 1: 2Q25 financial results

FYE Dec (MYRm) 2Q24 1Q25 2Q25 QoQ (%) YoY (%) Comments
Operational revenue 554 591 608 2.9 9.7
– Container 482 493 511 3.7 6.0 Higher YoY due to higher VAS contribution, mainly from metal commodities
– Conventional 37 37 36 (2.7) (2.7) Down 3% YoY despite throughput easing by 6% due to the growth of dry bulk and commodities, ie wheat and soy bean
– Marine 21 23 22 (4.3) 4.8 More tugboats were deployed YoY to ensure the safe berthing/unberthing of vessels
– Rental 14 38 39 2.6 178.6 Notable increase YoY reflecting the full 6-month impact of the higher sublease renewal rates and the effect of the MFRS 16 adjustment
Operational costs (216) (210) (212) 1.0 (1.9)
– Manpower (72) (78) (78) 0.0 8.3
– Depreciation (51) (47) (48) 2.1 (5.9)
– Fuel (41) (36) (35) (2.8) (14.6)
– M&R (22) (22) (23) 4.5 4.5
– Electricity (15) (13) (14) 7.7 (6.7)
– Others (15) (14) (14) 0.0 (6.7)
EBITDA 342 384 392 2.1 14.5
EBITDA margin (%) 61.8 64.9 64.5
Depreciation & amortisation (68) (69) (70) 1.8 3.5
EBIT 275 315 322 2.2 17.2
EBIT margin (%) 49.6 53.3 53.0
Finance income 3 6 5 (15.9) 70.4
Finance costs (12) (29) (28) (3.4) 127.3
Exceptional Items 0 0 0 nm nm
PBT 266 292 301 2.9 13.2
PBT margin (%) 48.0 49.5 49.5
Tax (62) (70) (69) (1.4) 11.0
Effective tax rate (%) (23.4) (23.9) (22.9)
Net profit 204 222 232 4.3 13.9
Net profit margin (%) 36.8 37.6 38.2
Core net profit 204 222 232 4.3 13.9 Broadly in line with ours and consensus’ expectations
Core net profit margin (%) 36.8 37.6 38.2

Source: Company data, RHB

Figure 2: Operational metrics

Throughput volume breakdown
Container (m TEU) 2Q24 1Q25 2Q25 QoQ (%) YoY (%)
Transhipment 1.53 1.51 1.68 11.3 9.8
Gateway 1.19 1.18 1.20 1.7 0.8
Total 2.72 2.69 2.88 7.1 5.9
Container by Geographical
2Q24 1Q25 2Q25 QoQ (%) YoY (%)
Intra-Asia 1.77 1.69 1.73 2.4 (2.3)
Asia-Europe 0.38 0.41 0.50 22.0 31.6
Asia-Australasia 0.26 0.20 0.22 10.0 (15.4)
Asia-America 0.18 0.27 0.30 11.1 66.7
Asia-Africa 0.09 0.06 0.05 (16.7) (44.4)
Others 0.05 0.06 0.08 33.3 60.0
Total 2.73 2.69 2.88 7.1 5.5
Conventional (m MT) 2Q24 1Q25 2Q25 QoQ (%) YoY (%)
2.92 2.95 2.75 (6.8) (5.8)

Source: Company data, RHB

Figure 3: 1H25 segmental breakdown (%) of operational revenue and costs

Operational Revenue

  • Container: 84%
  • Rental: 6%
  • Conventional: 6%
  • Marine: 4%

Operational Costs

  • Manpower: 37%
  • Depreciation: 22%
  • Fuel: 17%
  • M&R: 11%
  • Electricity: 6%
  • Others: 7%

Source: Company data, RHB

Figure 4: 1H25 breakdown of containers by type (%)

  • Transhipment: 57%
  • Gateway: 43%

Source: Company data, RHB

Figure 5: 1H25 containers breakdown by area (%)

  • Intra-Asia: 61%
  • Asia-Europe: 16%
  • Asia-America: 10%
  • Asia-Australasia: 8%
  • Asia-Africa: 3%
  • Others: 2%

Source: Company data, RHB

Figure 6: DCF valuation

FYE Dec (MYRm) FY25F FY26F FY27F FY28F FY29F FY30F FY31F FY32F FY33F FY34F Terminal
CFO 1,217 1,279 1,367 1,270 1,310 1,346 1,382 1,420 1,455 1,487
+ Interest (1 – tax rate) 67 61 58 52 44 39 32 24 15 6
– capital expenditure (243) (271) (304) (342) (388) (441) (505) (581) (672) (779)
Free cash flow to firm (FCFF) 1,041 1,069 1,121 979 967 944 909 863 798 714 17,883
Discount factor 0.98 0.92 0.87 0.82 0.78 0.73 0.69 0.65 0.62 0.58 0.55
PV of FCFF 1,017 986 977 806 751 693 630 565 494 417 9,864

Risk-free: 3.9%

Beta: 0.70

Cost of equity: 7.3%

WACC: 5.6%

Terminal growth: 1.5%

Enterprise value (MYRm): 17,198

Cash: 779

– Debt: (804)

Equity value (MYRm): 17,173

No of shares (m): 3,410

Gross fair value (MYR): 5.04

Add: ESG premium: 2%

Target Price (MYR): 5.14

Source: RHB

Recommendation Chart

Recommendation Price Chart Area
Source: RHB, Bloomberg
Date Recommendation Target Price Price
2025-06-16 Neutral 4.90 5.03
2025-05-12 Neutral 4.35 4.43
2025-01-23 Neutral 4.70 4.47
2024-11-11 Neutral 4.56 4.38
2024-07-29 Neutral 4.52 4.54
2024-05-03 Buy 4.52 3.98
2024-04-09 Buy 4.52 3.86
2024-02-05 Neutral 4.12 3.89
2023-11-10 Neutral 3.60 3.46
2023-10-31 Neutral 3.74 3.36
2023-07-28 Neutral 3.65 3.51
2023-05-08 Neutral 3.65 3.60
2023-01-25 Neutral 3.78 3.80
2022-11-07 Neutral 3.56 3.30
2022-07-29 Neutral 3.80 3.50

Source: RHB, Bloomberg

RHB Guide to Investment Ratings

Buy: Share price may exceed 10% over the next 12 months

Trading Buy: Share price may exceed 15% over the next 3 months, however longer-term outlook remains uncertain

Neutral: Share price may fall within the range of +/- 10% over the next 12 months

Take Profit: Target price has been attained. Look to accumulate at lower levels

Sell: Share price may fall by more than 10% over the next 12 months

Not Rated: Stock is not within regular research coverage

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Malaysia

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Malaysia

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Analyst Company
   

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See important disclosures at the end of this report


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